Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Marsupials are not naturally found in India. Statement-II: Marsupials can thrive only in montane grasslands with no predators. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Answer: C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect. Statement-I is CORRECT. Marsupials (kangaroos, koalas, wombats, opossums) are NOT naturally found in India. The major marsupial radiation occurred in Australia (and a smaller one in the Americas with opossums). India's mammalian fauna is dominated by placental mammals. Statement-II is WRONG on multiple counts. Marsupials thrive in a wide variety of habitats including tropical rainforests (tree-kangaroos), arid deserts (red kangaroos, marsupial moles), woodlands (koalas), and they coexist with predators (dingoes in Australia, big cats and snakes in their ranges). The claim that they 'only thrive in montane grasslands with no predators' is geographically and ecologically wrong. The reason marsupials are absent from India is biogeographic ISOLATION (Australia separated from Gondwana before marsupials could disperse to Asia), not habitat suitability. Source: NCERT Class 11 Biology Ch 4 (Animal Kingdom) / standard zoogeography references.